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WGN at 75: Rick Sutcliffe & the 1984 Cubs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:14 GMT

CHICAGO - He wasn't even there at the beginning of the season, but it's hard to believe the Cubs would have finished how they did in that campaign 39 years ago if the pitcher didn't show up.Certainly September 24, 1984, one of the most celebrated moments in team history, would have looked different if Rick Sutcliffe hadn't arrived in a mid-season trade from Cleveland.But the starting pitcher was on the mound at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh that evening to pitch a complete game in a 4-1 victory over the Pirates. His strikeout of Joe Orsulak gave the Cubs their 93rd victory of the season to clinch the Eastern Division championship.It put the team in the playoffs for the first time since 1945, setting off a celebration for fans across the world, many of whom fell in love with the Cubs thanks to WGN-TV. Sutcliffe had a lot to do with it since he went 16-1 with a 2.69 ERA after arriving with the team in mid-June, winning the National League's Cy Young Award. He even started the fir...

59th anniversary of largest U.S. earthquake in Alaska, March 27, 1964

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:14 GMT

Spring rollercoaster ahead for Chicago this week to include everything from snow showers, mild 60+ degree temps for the first time in 2023 and possible severe thunderstormsGOOD FRIDAY, 1964— 59th ANNIVERSARY OF THE ALASKA EARTHQUAKEThe largest earthquake ever recorded in the U.S. and North AmericaThe second largest earthquake ever recorded on earth: 9.2Courtesy of the U.S. Geological SurveyPam Grimes and I reported on this in a program we produced and aired on WGN entitled "Tsunamis on American Shores" which we ran on the one year anniversary of the deadly 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami which killed more than 227,000.It struck as Alaskans were sitting down to dinner (5:36pm March 27, 1964) unleashing a swarm of tsunamis which were responsible for most of the 138 deaths attributed to the mammoth quake which had the Needle in Seattle, WA swaying violently and was felt in all but a handful of states. It's tsunamis devastated Hilo in Hawaii and resulted in deaths as far away as Crescent City...

Minn. Senate GOP offers new deal on Social Security tax, bonding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:14 GMT

Minority Senate Republicans are pitching a revised deal to Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmakers on Social Security income tax and infrastructure borrowing. Their move comes after a disagreement on the issues stopped a $1.9 billion infrastructure investment proposal from moving forward earlier this month.Now that legislative DFLers are taking action on tax bills, Senate Republicans came back to the table Monday with a new offer to revive the bonding bill, increase spending for long-term care and nursing homes, and eliminate Minnesota’s income tax on Social Security payments. It matches the current DFL budget framework calling for $3 billion in tax cuts and credits.“Senate Republicans aren’t here to just sit in our chairs and vote ‘no,’ we really do want to work and try to pull this thing together so we can come to a bipartisan agreement,” said Sen. Eric Pratt, R-Prior Lake.Republicans have already been pushing for full elimination of the Social Security income tax, but...

St. Louis demand Kia, Hyundai take action addressing rising car thefts in suit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:14 GMT

ST. LOUIS – New information is coming to light about just how bad St. Louis's stolen car crisis has gotten. In a new lawsuit filed in federal court, the City of St. Louis blames automakers Kia and Hyundai for the suit calls an “epidemic” of vehicle thefts.Crime victims tell FOX 2 News there’s another piece to this: prosecuting the people who are actually stealing the cars. Suspects caught driving stolen cars are routinely released from jail pending criminal charges, if charges are ever filed, according to police sources.Jim Hayes had his Kia stolen from in front of his house in south St. Louis over the summer. He got the vehicle back, but has heard nothing about anyone being punished for the crime. Top Stories: City of St. Louis suing Hyundai, Kia over surge in car thefts “Just do your jobs and convict these people,” he said. “Not everybody’s an angel out there.”Hayes applauded the City of St. Louis for trying to hold carmakers accountable, too.“Since May of 2022, the St. Louis Me...

St. Louis FBI office promises consequences for hoax school threats  

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:14 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Following a deadly school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, several St. Louis area schools reported hoax threats.“These are easy to investigate,” said Jay Greenberg, special agent in charge for the St. Louis office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “We will eventually find whoever is behind a threat and hold them accountable.”Greenberg said arrests were made in the St. Louis area and beyond following a spike in hoax threats after a deadly school shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis.“If we bring charges federally, it will be a felony that will stick on somebody’s record for the rest of their life,” Greenberg said. Top Stories: City of St. Louis suing Hyundai, Kia over surge in car thefts There is also the emotional toll a fake threat can cause.“This traumatizes every family that’s associated with that school or community,” Greenberg said.He encourages the parents of any child with a smart device to have a conversation about the c...

Updates on Heman Park swimming pool stalled in University City

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:14 GMT

UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. - Summer is quickly approaching, and people are wondering when the 90-year-old pool at Heman Park will reopen. It shut down last summer after historic flooding damaged the pool and park."I've been coming here for probably 50 years, and so stepkids, grandkids, everybody here," said Patrick Maloney. "It would be a shame to see it go away."He's one of the many residents who want to see it reopen.Fences are still down, and there is a sign that shows the height of the flood waters in 2022. During the historic flooding on July 26, the River Des Peres reached a height of more than 19 feet."All kinds of trash and debris that was washed downstream. So we had trash cans from God knows where," said Darren Dunkle, director of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry for University City. "We had all kinds of litter, limbs, all sorts of things." Top Stories: City of St. Louis suing Hyundai, Kia over surge in car thefts He said all of the debris, silt, and mud made their way into the...

'She’s looking down from heaven, smiling' - Family reflects on national honor for CVPA teacher killed in school shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:14 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Joe Kuczka calls his mother, Jean, a hero. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society agrees with him.The prestigious organization has posthumously recognized Jean Kuczka as the recipient of the 2023 Citizen Hero Award.Jean, 61, was a beloved teacher at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in south St. Louis. She earned national attention when it was learned that she selflessly shielded her students from a gunman on the morning of October 24, 2022. Jean and a student, Alexzandria Bell, were killed.The Kuczka family just returned from Washington, DC for the special awards program. Joe said he was taken aback by the praise for his mother’s actions. Top Stories: City of St. Louis suing Hyundai, Kia over surge in car thefts “We were sitting at a table with two Medal of Honor recipients,” he said. “And they said they were honored to be here for us, and humbled by what my mom did, and called her a hero. And I was at a loss for words. To have these two men, describe m...

FBI Internet Crime report highlights Missouri and Illinois

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:14 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A new report out from the FBI shows Americans lost more than $10 billion to cyber criminals in 2022.“At the end of the day, all fraud boils down to this: it’s a lie to steal your money,” said David Nanz, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Springfield, Illinois Office.Nanz says fraud schemes are constantly evolving.“The fraud perpetrators are just growing their schemes,” he said. Top Stories: City of St. Louis suing Hyundai, Kia over surge in car thefts According to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, Illinois had the fifth-most victims per state. Business Email Compromise scams, which target businesses and individuals performing transfers of funds, topped the list, with $83.3 million lost. Investment fraud losses totaled more than $75.6 million, and tech support scams accounted for $31.4 million lost.Missouri was the 22nd most victimized state, losing $49.1 million to BEC scams, $29.2 million to investment fraud, and $11.4 million in tech support scams.“...

Parkway school board candidates share why they want to fill 3 seats in April

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:14 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - Seven candidates running for Parkway School District board positions shared their platforms and stances on the top issues facing the district at a public forum Monday night at the school’s welcome center.The League of Women Voters of St. Louis hosted a candidate forum so voters could get a better understanding of who they want to fill three board positions that are expiring on the April 4 election."We are going to have to be innovative in our thinking and how we educate our children," said Tiffany Mapp Franklin, a board member for the Parkway School District.The seven candidates, three of which are current board members, voiced their strategies for success."We are still in the top 10 to 20 percent in the state of Missouri, some of our scores," said Deborah A. Hopper, a board member for the Parkway School District. "But there are still work that needs to be done, could be done better." Top Stories: City of St. Louis suing Hyundai, Kia over surge in car theft...

Nikola Jokic bolsters MVP case with triple-double as Nuggets beat 76ers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:14 GMT

If the Nuggets wanted to stage their own dunk contest, at least half of the finishes from Monday night would qualify.On a Philadelphia defense that was missing its anchor, Joel Embiid, due to injury, the Nuggets hammered the rim and battered the scoreboard, knocking off the Sixers, 116-111, for their fourth win in a row.Jeff Green, Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray, Bruce Brown and Christian Braun were all among the assailants who floated through the air and pummeled the rim. Only part of the luster waned when Denver, up 20 points a few minutes into the fourth quarter, nearly squandered the lead with turnovers and poor shot selection down the stretch. What should’ve been a calm fourth quarter turned into a tense, ugly affair once the Sixers drew to within three points.While James Harden sat with injury, too — the Nuggets picked apart Philadelphia’s defense with 34 assists. Though he didn’t partake in the aerial acrobatics like the rest of his teammates, Nikola Jokic was at the heart ...